This is an original Fic that has no link to anything else that I've written. It was inspired by "Odd Man Out". And the poem in this Fic is my own original work. It's a sweet little Marty/Merrill fic:P

VAMPIRE HIGH

NO LONGER ALONE

SCENE 1

Marty had just risen from his coffin and found himself alone. Everyone else was already up and doing other things. So he began to look for something to wear. He grabbed a pair of black leather pants and slipped them on. As he went to grab a shirt, he stopped when he saw his reflection in the mirror. He took a look at his thin, slender frame. Stepping forward to look and the spot on his shoulder where his recent stab wound had been, he looked up starring himself in the eyes. He winced away from the mirror almost as if it pained him to look at his own face. He continued to dress as if the mirror wasn't there at all.

He had developed a great dislike for mirrors since the incident a few weeks ago. He had placed a love spell on Essie that started out well and ended horribly. The spell was to get her to see him as HE wanted her to see him. And breaking the spell required him to have her look in a mirror with him so she could see his true self. Needless to say it wasn't pleasant. Marty never thought words would hurt him, but what Essie saw... To quote the girl, "A manipulator, a liar. A short, attention grabbing clown that's always looking for a shortcut! Completely selfish. Never doing things for others only for himself. Someone who thinks that the only way to connect with people is by hurting them!" And they all saw him like that....except one. Merrill.

Merrill always showed him kindness no matter how much of a creep he was being. Like helping him out of jams, nursing his wounds, or just being there to talk to. Not to mention her forgiving attitude. He figured it was because she also knew the feelings of loneliness and rejection. It made Marty sick when Drew just ignored Merrill's feelings. "How can Drew not see how much she cares about him?" Marty thought, "How can he just ignore the fact that a smart, sweet, kind, and well..pretty girl, is opening her heart to him? If she was mine I'd treat her like queen!..if she was mine..."

It wasn't until recently that Marty had started looking a Merrill differently. He was so happy to have her friendship, but deep down inside he knew he was falling for her. And with that personal knowledge he grabbed a pen, some paper and sat down on the floor. He figure if he was going to open his heart up a tell her how he felt, he'd do it in a way that she'd appreciate. Poetry. He took a deep breath, put his pen to the paper, and let his heart do the writing.

ELSEWHERE...

In another room Karl and Essie were dancing. They were laughing, smiling and having a grand time. Merrill on the other hand was looking at Drew in disgust. "All he ever thinks about is that mortal!" Merrill thought bitterly. "Fine. He can think about her all he wants. I'm not wasting my heart on him any longer!". She got up and left the room unnoticed.

MEANWHILE......

Marty was putting the finishing touches on his poem. He signed his name at the bottom, folded the paper in half and wrote Merrill's name on it. He went over to her coffin and placed it on top. Pleased with himself, he walked off to cause his nightly amount of mischief.

Merrill had made her way to her coffin. All she wanted to do was crawl in there and cry. When she walked up to it she saw the folded sheet of paper resting on the lid. She picked it up and saw her name, MERRILL, printed a top in bold letters. She looked puzzled, "For me?" she questioned herself. She shrugged her shoulders and opened it up. She read the title, "I'M NOT ALONE by Marty Strickland.". "Marty? Marty wrote me a poem?" she walked over to a chair, sat down and began to read.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'M NOT ALONE

I've never felt like I belong,

I've always been out of place

It seems like trying to fit in,

Is a never ending race

But then one day a star did fall,

Brightly from the sky

I didn't understand at first,

But now I know just why

It was to tell me that I'm not alone,

That there's someone else like me

A someone that understands my world,

Almost perfectly

A someone I can talk to,

And trust in every way

A someone I can confide in,

And tell me "it's ok"

A someone I thought I' d never find,

In all my hopes and dreams

A someone that might not be real,

Or so it seemed

Because now I've finally found the one,

This is what that star has shown

And now that I've found you,

I don't feel so alone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wiping tears from her eyes, Merrill got up to find Marty. Never in her life had she ever read something so beautiful. And the fact that Marty wrote it for her, had given her words from his heart, was touching her in a way that made her own heart feel alive.

She searched the wine cellar until she found Marty up on the balcony reading. She walked up the stairs with the poem in her hand. When she reached the top, her eyes met with Marty's. He saw the poem in her hand.

"Did you like it?" he asked as she walked up to him.

She sat down beside him. "It was the most beautiful thing I have ever read."

He smiled, "I meant every word.". "And," he started again, "I know I'm not the best poet but..."

Merrill cut off his words with a kiss. A Warm, deep, passionate kiss. And when the kiss broke, Marty and Merrill held each other in a long loving embrace. They had found their One.

Marty pushed her hair away from her ear, "I love you Merrill." he whispered.

Merrill whispered back, "I love you too Marty. And you want to know something else?" she continued, "You were never alone..."

~THE END~

(Yes I know it was a very schmoopy goopy piece of lovey dovey fluff! But I hope you all liked it none the less:P)